Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-06-14
THE CITY HALL WORK
sEALL TEE COMMITTEE OR COLONEL
CUTeHAw CONTROL 1T
Action Of the Board OF Aldermen Last
Hight-Coroner's Pees-City Rail-
ways New Parks, &c.

Balcn, BlaDu, tnappel, CrenShaW, Crump,
Davis, DickersOn, Ilargrovc, Hill, Murphy,
Noble, Powers, Robinson, and Sneld.
PARKS.
The Finance Committee recommended
q at $1,000 be appropriated TO purchase a
site for park in Jackson Ward, and SG, 600
for the purchase Of what i known az
Downcs Hill lin rear Of Trinity churchl, to
De used for the same purpose.
Agreed TO unanimously.
RULES.
The special committee appointed TO re-
wise the rules Of the Council submitted
their report, with a resolution suggesting
that the rules be adopted and printed.
Agreed 10.
TIED Up STREETS s-MAYOR's VETO OvERRULED.
The Board cOncurr,d in the resolution
resciDding the resolution allowing the
tying up OF streets In certain cases OF sick.
ness. The Mayor vetoed the resolution re-
pealCg the former one adopted, but the
CO Cmmon Council passed it over the Mayor
veto, and the Board coDcurred.
50 in future meets cannot be tied up in
case, Of Illness.
DUMMY.
The Board also concurrcd IN the rccom-
meudatiOu Of The Committee on streets
that the Richmond City. Rail way Company
be allowed temporarily to run its dummy
engine into the city on Main street as far
east as Reservoir street.
Goes now TO the Mayor for approval.
ELECTRICITY.
The ordinance providing that the Rich.
mODd Union Passenger Railway Company
bc allowed 10 use electricity aS a motive
power on IFS street ears, said permission 10
be subject to repeal by the Council at any
time II may deem proper, came up, and
was unanimously concurred in.
This now goes TO the Mayor for approval
TO become a law.
CHANGES.
The recommendation OF the Committee
on Streets, that the Union company be al.
lowed 10 run q double track along its
present route from Seventeenth and Frank
lin 10 Marshall street, instead OF a single
track, as previously permitted, and that il
be allowed TO change It's Church-IIill route
from Twenty-cighth TO Twenty.ninth,
which had been adopted by the Common
Council, was agreed TO. The Common
Council, however, dId not adopt the re-
commeDdation in proper shape, so it will
have to so to it for MS eacqmescence.
REPAIRS.
The Board cOncurred in apprOpriltin-
$3.50 TO certain necessary repairs to the
First Market.
PERMITS.
A number of permits TO build frame
buildings were granted.
CORONER-sHALL HE HAVE \ SALARY or 81, 200
IN LIEU or ALL FEESI
The Common Council resolution reducing
the Coronel's fees, as heretofore slated.
came up.
Before any action was taken the follow
ing letter was read from Coroner Taylor:
RICHMOND, Va, June 13, 1887.
To the H0rOrqbie Board Of Aiderm5R of
ne CitU Of HichmOnd:
GenilCmen,-I respectfully ask your at
teutiOn to the following statement which
relates TO the proposition that the pOSt.mOr-
team fee for unknown infants BE- reduced
from So TO $40, and that the Coroner shall
obtain permission from certain city officers
before he can make these post mOrtemS at
all.
The last part Of the proposition involves
q point of law with which |, beng only
doctor Of medicine, do not feel myself fully
competent TO deal. | venture 10 suppose,
however, that being State officer | am 70
control myself by the State law rather than
nv anv opposing law Of the city, and fad
that The state law directs the Coroner 10
obtain such medical services as he himself
thinks neCdlul TOR which reasonable COM
IcnsatoD, to be paid by the city, shall ~
allowed and in doing this, do not ind
that he j, required to ask anybody cls,'s
advice, much less anybody clse's permit
sion.
ON this point bave obtained an opinion
from what | regard as perfectly com
petCnt authority. and | am assured tbst |
nv view is correct. Whichever way
the question may be ultimately d. !
lcrmined is Of little consequence 10 me peg |
sorally, for | am quite sure that not one Les, |
pOSi-mOrtem will be made in any event, and |
the most that the passage OF this clause OF |
the proposition is likely TO effect Is to an |
nov the law officers specified by reluiring |
them 10 determine medical points which |
must at last be lett to q medical mau 10 d.. |
eide. trust, therefore, that however yOu |
may dispose Of the rest Of the proposition, |
YOU will pause at this provision Of II TIL itS |
legality can be settled by authority winch |
neither side will dispute.
The pOSt.mOrtcm fee OF So, whether il |
be too large or too small, was liked long |
before became Coroner, and was pud |
without gTumbling to my predecessors, |
and was adjusted according 10 the very |
same principles which justify the physician |
in charging more for his prescription than |
the intrinsic value Of The paper on which |
il is written, or the lawyer in charging |
more for bis opinion that the Intrinsic value |
OF the breath which expresses il. II mu't |
be remembered that these pOSt-mOT'enS are |
made with a view TO their use in tue |
courts, where they will be rigidiy |
scrutinized, so that there are mIny p1TSi- |
clans, unwilling TO subject Themselves |
to this ordeal, who, entirely qush-
ted 10 make ordinary pOSt-m0rttmS, re.
fuse to make this class OF them for SO, and |
some physicians refuse to make them at
all.
II is clearly not proper to insist that S2j, |
or any other Fixed sum, i the appr0pria'e |
fee IN each aud every case, for the cases are |
OF all gradcS OF difficulty and importance. |
Inysef have never received ffOm the Guy |
4 fee larger than S25 for any poStm0rtem,
but the city has paid greatly larger ones 10 |
Other physicians. when before the COM
uiltee from which the proposition under |
consideration emanates wss willing 10 adj |
nit that in some instances So for tue post |
mOriem Of an infant might be too much, |
but the admission was not a unqualltie |
As It has been represented to be. 1t was
made for the purpose OF enforcing another |
admission OF mine, which, singularly |
enough, has been unnOiiced-yiz that |
nothing at all (Which is what am paid
for most OF nv medical work on other cases
is too little. j have done the work OF
medico.legal expert for the city so long for |
nothing that this class OF work Is very gen
orally supposed to be an inherent part OF
the duties Of my Office. The superstition |
Is great mistake. hold the Office of |
coroner, not that OF medical expert. In |
tact, there is no such officer a this under our |
law, and cOrOuer need not be physician
The S25 pOSi-mOrten fee Ia the only fee |
receive as medical expert, the fees for in
quests and views being paid to Inc rs Coro-
ner, and therefore the medical eXamna-
uobs, which must be made In every one Of |
these n quest ana view cases, are done for |
practically nothing. (rO beexact, ! ought |
20 state that for inquests, few OF which | |
bold, the Coronel's fee IS So II he IS ply |
sician, and S3 il he T. not which means
that the doctor gets 81 for his professional |
services, and Is typical Illustration OF the |
eXalt, d idea which the Legislator entertain'
Oi the skill and leirning OF the medlcG |
professlon). IL would he entirely legal for |
me 10 do ms cor0ners elsewhere dO-viz
acf A., ,,,x, oficial caDaCifv and pmDOy "A